Good News! 7 Positive Environmental Stories From May 2022

Strong winds from a recent storm damaged a Ukrainian natural monument — a linden tree on Andriyivsky Descent, which, according to legend, was planted by Petro Mohyla. The tree is now being treated via a painstaking process, and will require multiple stages of recovery. We love that experts are rallying to support this iconic 400 year old tree!

Cave explorers recently found a giant sinkhole deep within a forest in China — and inside the sinkhole, they discovered a hidden forest! The sinkhole has been measured at approximately 5 million square meters and contains 3 undiscovered caves. Researchers believe that in addition to the 130 foot tall trees, there may be undiscovered plant and animal species among the underbrush. 

A contaminant found in water causes severe gastroenteritis, but researchers have discovered a cure right in nature. After noting that the pathogen enterococcus has a lower concentration in some areas, scientists realized that seagrass meadows were always growing nearby. A recent study out of Italy determined that seagrass meadows are quietly preventing up to 24 million cases of gastroenteritis each year. 

A coexistence agreement signed between the Nukak and local campesinos is bringing the Indigenous community closer to returning to their territory and is meant to act as a stop-gap to their cultural eradication. As a result, 1 million hectares of an Amazonian reserve will benefit from the return of the Nukak people and their knowledge and appreciation of the land. 

A new meat alternative has the ability to limit the land area needed for growing and producing food. Cattle grazing and feed production are a major driver of reforestation worldwide. Making the switch to a fungi-based red meat substitute is a great way to adopt a more sustainable diet and has the potential to reduce the detrimental effects of meat production on the environment by taking pressure off of forests.